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Editorial

Editorial

Presents a point of view reflecting the company’s progressive values on an issue of public interest. Editorials are written by staff within the Star’s editorial board, which is independent of the newsroom.

Transit visions shortchange voters

With public transit emerging as the major issue in Toronto’s mayoral race so far, rival candidates are slowly unveiling their competing visions. They sense, correctly, that voters are increasingly frustrated by gridlock on the streets and inertia in transit planning. But if public dissatisfaction offers an opportunity to score political points, it also represents a challenge to show leadership and provide credible alternatives.

An overdue expansion is in the works. This is a decisive time. Yet with the Oct. 25 municipal election approaching, there is little cause for optimism that the mayoral race is producing thoughtful proposals.

Front-runner George Smitherman offered the most elaborate plans in a long-awaited announcement last week. Yet, for all its detail, it was critically lacking in essentials. He outlined a bold vision for more subways and expansion of planned light rail lines, while promising to give seniors free midday rides and other measures that would cut revenues.

The entire agenda would require an additional $7 billion — a huge challenge for a city facing a chronic budget shortfall — yet the candidate said voters would have to wait until September or October for an explanation. That’s no way to win credibility.

Rocco Rossi wants to modify Toronto’s already-planned “Transit City” light rail lines in favour of building two kilometres of new subway yearly. He calls for selling Toronto Hydro and other municipal assets to erase the city’s debt; the $450 million that now goes to servicing the debt would be redirected to subway work. But it’s far from clear that asset sales can raise what Rossi projects to cover the costs of his plan.

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Sarah Thomson has a bold plan to level a $5 toll on major routes in Toronto, saying this will generate up to $500 million yearly for subway building. There are doubts that tolls would actually raise that much, but at least she is upfront in acknowledging that some sacrifice must be made to properly fund public transit. By contrast, rival candidate Rob Ford wants expanded subways without saying what this might cost or where he’d find the funding. For his part, deputy mayor Joe Pantalone prides himself on being “the only mayoral candidate that supports Transit City 100 per cent” — a reasonable, if unimaginative, position that stays the course.

What’s lacking in these platforms (apart from Thomson’s) is the candid recognition that public transit desperately requires new sources of funding, such as a road toll, congestion charge, gasoline tax, or some other levy. That unavoidable reality was underscored again this week by Ontario’s environmental commissioner, Gord Miller. Until more mayoral candidates are willing to confront those hard financial truths and propose realistic ways of getting dedicated funding for transit, voters will continue to feel shortchanged by the politicians seeking their support.

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